|
Getting your Trinity Audio player ready...
|
I have caught a cold. Big deal. We all get colds.
But I will admit that realising I have what appears to be an ordinary cold has set off a rather unexpected chain of thoughts, fears and precautionary measures.
A cold used to be a minor inconvenience. A few days of feeling miserable, a runny nose, some coughing and then back to normal.
With PSP, I find myself thinking rather differently.
My biggest concern is not the cold itself but the possibility of a chest infection or pneumonia. My swallowing weakness has already been identified through choking incidents and a FEES examination, and I am conscious that additional mucus, coughing and fatigue could make swallowing more difficult and increase the risk of aspiration, where food, fluid or secretions enter the airway.
So something as mundane as a common cold has suddenly become something I need to think about and manage.
I recognise that much of this is me emotionally picturing the worst-case scenario. There is every reason to hope this will remain an ordinary cold, come and go, and make relatively little noise.
But I would be lying if I said I wasn’t a little scared. I think this is probably my first cold since my PSP diagnosis, and it has reminded me that even the minor ailments we previously took for granted now require a little more attention.
My response? Stay hydrated, take particular care with swallowing, manage the mucus, rest and avoid turning a minor hurdle into a major event.
I intend to keep this short and concentrate on getting better.
Of course, there is every possibility that I will become even grumpier and more difficult to handle than usual. Apparently, that is possible.
Hopefully, a little sleep and some sensible precautions will see me back to writing and in good form very soon.
And I would rather not give the rest of the family a cold either.
